


Lies Your Father Told You

by Ifwecansparkle



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Drabble, Family, Ficlet, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Spike overshares, after a fashion, season 5, spoilers for family and lies my parents told me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-14
Updated: 2015-06-14
Packaged: 2018-04-04 08:13:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 322
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4130760
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ifwecansparkle/pseuds/Ifwecansparkle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spike tries (and fails) to give Tara some advice on her birthday. A brief interlude that takes place at the end of "Family."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lies Your Father Told You

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: "Bullied"

"You should have met my mum," Spike says absent-mindedly, in a brief moment where Tara has stepped off of the dance floor at The Bronze.

"Huh?" Tara questions, confusion drawn on her face because this isn't really birthday talk, and all things considered, she doesn't really want to discuss family any more today. But Spike may or may not be drunk, and she lets him continue.

"If you think your dad is a git," he elaborates, "Then you should have met my mum." 

"Oh," Tara says. She is now 100% sure that she doesn't like where this conversation is going, and beyond 100% sure that Spike isn't going to stop there. "Y-your mom was--I mean--I'm sorry," she stammers.

"She was, after..." Spike lapses into silence for a moment, as though he is thinking better of his decision to tell this story. "'tsnot like I can blame her exactly," he admits, the moral of his tale clearly lost at this point, even to him. "Couldn't have known, neither of us," he continues, more to himself than to her. It could be a trick of the light, but he looks nearly misty-eyed as he spews this cryptic story.

"Spike?"

"Point is, pet," he says rousing himself, "sometimes you just gotta keep the good bits and--" he makes a sudden stabbing motion with his right hand, "stake what's left of 'em and get on with things." Tara's eyes widen in horror, but Spike nods resolutely, clearly pleased with himself for this advice.

"Spike, I--my God, I'm so sorry."

He blinks owlishly at her, then shrugs. "Birthday advice," he slurs. And then, as an afterthought, "Glad we kept you, though."

The last comment is the one that assures Tara that he is indeed drunk, more than his rambling tale. She smiles all the same, and moments later, when he spots Buffy and rambles away, she whispers "Thanks, Spike," too low to be heard.


End file.
